Picture this: you’re sitting with your friends on top of a mountain, the ripping wind and sub freezing cold bearing down on you. You woke up 20 minutes ago, as the bus to the mountain offers respite from the 6 am wake-ups necessary for the trip. You feel the windchill, the fatigue, but most importantly, you feel alive, ready to shred the mountain with your group and have fun all school-day. 

Jackson-Reed’s Ski Club is a club that offers three field trips a year to Liberty Mountain Resort, letting students ski and snowboard all day. For many, the freezing temperatures and early mornings are merely an obstacle, incapable of deterring them from their passion, as the club’s growing popularity shows how many at this school love to ski. 

Some have been skiing all their lives and take the opportunity to showcase their skills. Freshman Milo Gavin said, “I’ve been skiing for a majority of my life. When I saw this opportunity, I thought ‘this looks really fun.’” Of course, no interview with a skiing savant is complete without a little bragging. When asked what he’s most excited for, he responded “I’m really excited to ski with my friends… and full send a black-diamond!” These sentiments were reflected across lots of skiers and snowboarders on this year’s trip, with many spending the whole day showing off their skills.

The Jackson-Reed Ski Club, however, is not restricted to those uber-advanced; they offer spots to skiers with little to no experience, providing lessons to help them learn the ropes. This accommodation to new skiers has helped the club’s popularity explode over the past few years, as many new skiers are intrigued by the idea of skiing with their friends. “There were a lot of people I knew going, and I thought it would be fun to ski with a lot of people from my school… you don’t get to do that much,” sophomore Quinn Trieu said. 

The club creates opportunities for new skiers to have fun learning to ski and to be with their friends. Testing coordinator and Ski Club sponsor Katherine Wells highlights how when she was growing up her family didn’t ski so she learned from going on her middle school ski trips. She helped create the Ski Club to give people with similar experiences that opportunity, one which they may not otherwise have. Additionally, the club’s accepting culture helps make these newcomers feel welcomed, making sure they know that they belong.

Thanks to the Ski Club and its growing popularity, the skiing and snowboarding subculture at Jackson-Reed has never been greater. Hundreds of kids who all share the same love for the mountain come together to practice, always encouraging each-other and being positive. One of the greatest things that has come out of the club is the community it creates. These trips form bonds that last years. Wells says she “loves how everyone is supportive,” highlighting how skiing is a particularly challenging task for newcomers and credits the supportive environment for why the club is so popular.

Overall, the Ski Club at Jackson-Reed offers many the opportunity to ski and snowboard, one which students capitalize on. Advanced skiers and newcomers alike all flock to the mountain to spend a day having fun, choosing to ski with friends rather than sit in school. The club provides an outlet to those of us that love to ski, and gives the opportunity to many looking to start. The Jackson-Reed Ski Club is a great community here at our school and its continued organization provides the opportunity of skiing to hundreds at our school. •